Not much Mets on field news today as we await the official opening of camp tomorrow with pitchers and catcher ready to check in, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t any off field Mets news.

Mike Piazza has written a book with Lonnie Wheeler called Long Shot (Simon & Shuster) which I hope to get my hands on tomorrow. But before the book drops, there have been some excerpts of what to expect in this tome that I can guarantee won’t come close to approaching R.A. Dickey’s book in both substance and style. If the excerpts I read this morning with my bagel and coffee are any example I hope I don’t get whiplash from all the head shaking I’m anticipating while reading Long Shot. You know what? That’s really not fair, I should hold final judgment until I read the complete work but still there are some things I’ve read so far that made me take notice.

Piazza is still haunted by Roger Clemens and the night he took one Clemens fastballs off the side of his head.

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Piazza talks about taking karate lessons after the beaning with the premeditated thinking of confronting Clemens if or when he faced him again. That time came just about three months later in Game Two of the World Series when Clemens threw the barrel of a shattered bat at Piazza who did turn and walked toward Clemens but as he said:

“There were complications,” he ( Piazza) recalls. “The least of them was the realization that Clemens was a big guy, and I stood a pretty fair chance of getting my ass kicked in front of Yankee Stadium and the world. That was a legitimate concern.”

Maybe in the book Piazza goes into more detail and at least using getting tossed out a World Series game and possible suspension of another game in the series as reason for not charge at Clemens because turning tail fearing an ass kicking is mighty weak.

It seems not only was Piazza intimidated by big powerful pitchers he also got smacked around by ex-girlfriends as well:

One of his best-known girlfriends was Debbe Dunning, the actress who played the “Tool Time” girl on the hit comedy “Home Improvement.” One Halloween night when Dunning came over with a pumpkin and her dog, Piazza decided to break off the relationship.

There was screaming and crying and then the Tool Time girl waffled my ass,” he recalled. “I hadn’t taken a punch like that in a long time.”

WOW!

Piazza speaks about taking androstenedione and of course everyone’s skirts go up in the air when they hear this. This morning on WFAN, Richard Neer was all up in arms over this revelation and in his ranting over this proclamation by Piazza failed to remember (I could see him falling asleep listening to his own voice) that Andro was both legal to use in MLB and was sold over the counter at health and nutrition stores like GNC. This never occurred to Neer who acted like he was Bobby Goren cracking a Major Case.

Piazza also fesses up to taking amphetamines which puts him a class with over three-quarters of those enshrined in the Hall of Fame. Piazza also states that he needed to grab some Vioxx on those days when the grind of squatting behind the plate was taking its toll. Vioxx,, a powerful anti-inflammatory has since been banned in the U.S. due to the bad side effects from the drug, the most harsh being death.

The excerpt goes on about the stories of Piazza’s sexuality and his rough relationship with Latin teammates, which will be more strained after the read his quotes about “Latin’s should learn English and not be as pampered as they are by MLB teams” and the “Latin Mafia” that had it in for him. Safe to say a managerial or coaching spot in pro baseball is not in the cards for Piazza.

Again I shouldn’t pass judgment on the book until I read it, I just pray it’s better than this book which may be the worst written book of all time

With the report yesterday that the Mets will construct an 8 ft wall in front of the 16 ft Great Wall of Flushing in left field and the more dramatic change in right center field where the Mo’ Zone little alley way will be no more and the distance from home plate to right center field goes from 415 ft to 390 ft tells me unless he is bowled over with a huge return, David Wright will be a Met in 2012 and most likely beyond that.

Not only have the dimensions of Citi Field been altered for the benefit of Wright but they should aslo help Jason Bay as well as both he and Wright have been traumatized by the fly balls to nowhere in Citi Field. I guess you could call it psychotherapy through carpentry.

The Mets announced they have released Ryota Igarashi. This move is about six months too late.

A lot of talk about Albert Pujols not talking to the media after Game 2 of the World Series, a game where El Hombre made what could have been scored an error, allowing what proved to be the winning run to advance to 2nd base. There were some folks on Twitter that felt it was no big deal that Pujols not only blew off the press by not being at his locker to answer questions but hid in the back of the off limits section of clubhouse until they were gone. As a baseball fan how could you not be insulted by Pujols action? This wasn’t some game in August against the Astros, this was Game 2 of the World Series. Of course Tony La Russa had Pujols back he always does right or wrong but someone in the Cardinals organization needs to let Sir Albert know he has a responsibility to speak to the media after a World Series game. What they’re afraid of that he’ll sign elsewhere as a free agent? Pujols is better off in St Louis or another small market as he would never survive in NY, Boston, Chicago or LA

I hope the Jose Reyes saga plays out fast instead of the slow festering ache I believe it will. I have come to grips with the fact that Jose Reyes will be an former Met in 2012. Just read this post from Howard Megdal who knows exactly how the organization is ready to play out the Reyes Passion Play. Oh by the way, Reyes, no Reyes I will still but tickets to Mets games in 2012 and hopefully beyond that, and please when Reyes signs with the Nationals or Angels or Red Sox please don’t compare this to Tom Seaver getting traded to the Reds, that is too fucking ignorant for me to comment.

Last night’s hour long PRO BASEBALL CENTRAL show, went by in a flash thanks our own Yankee-Doodle, Michael calling in and Matt Silverman coming on to talk about the ’69 Mets. Some of the topics I wanted to get to in the opening of the show got pushed back as I went on a bit of a Fernando Martinez rant, so I guess I’ll touch on those here.

By the way I got to see F-Mart’s AB last night with the bases loaded and two out in the Dominican Republic v. Venezuela Caribbean World Series game. Martinez did not get a hit in the AB but it was an impressive turn at the plate that lasted 10 pitches until he hit a foul pop that was caught by the Venezuelan right fielder.

I’m not anti-Fernando in any way; I just want the kid to stop acing like he’s a 27 year old journeyman who has never gotten a chance and be the 20 year old who plays so well this spring that he beats out Angel Pagan to be Carlos Beltran’s understudy.

Looks like me and Orlando Hudson have something in common; we both will never play second base for the Mets. So after all the debate about second base for the Mets what’s done is done, Luis Castillo is the Mets second baseman for better or worse till death due us part (or until Reese Havens can prove he can play at the big league level) for 2010.

What is the under/over on how many times Gary Cohen or Howie Rose say “Just out of the reach of Castillo, for a base hit” this season? Let’s set the number at 75.

I’m very happy for Nelly Figs and his great performance the other day for DR in the Caribbean Series but it wasn’t like he was pitching against the Phillies or Highlanders, it was against Mexico and 45 year old 270 lb Vinny Castila, The Big Fajita!

Trying hard to put up a post today as I replay a tough loss over and over in my mind, no not the All Star Game, I gave up on that at 10PM when RESCUE ME came on, no Iâ€™m talking about my Babe Ruth team losing 8-0 to the top seed last night.

Donâ€™t let the score fool you it was a closer game than that. We had one bad inning (the 3rd) letting in 4 runs on a couple of errors and a some solid base hits. But the biggest obstacle was the pitcher we were facing a 13 year old with a big time yellow hammer that buckled my guys knees. We could only muster two hits on the night and three base runners total (my son accounting for two of the base runners with a walk, reaching first on a strike out/passed ball and two stolen bases) and now we face an elimination game on Sunday. Not much to say to the kids but “Hang with â€˜em.

After the game we went home to watch the All Star Game and the first thing my son told me was “Dad, letâ€™s get all the when I was a kid stuff out early so we can just watch the game” I guess like how the All Star Game was played during the day and how the two leagues played the game like it was a World Series game and how the NL had all the stars and always won and because of that the AL couldnâ€™t draw fans so they sullied the sport with the DH, and how I miss Curt Gowdy calling the big games and thatâ€™s when I get the hand and “thatâ€™s enough old timer” and I quiet down.

I was listening to Joe (Bada Bing Bada Boom) Beningno and Evan Roberts yesterday and I agree with Joe that there is so much baseball available for us to watch that the All Star Game is no big deal, as it used to be a chance for fans to see players they never get to see much but with the Extra Innings package and ESPN and MLB Network and Mets and Highlander games on every night there isnâ€™t a team or a player I havenâ€™t seen add in that there is no more rivalry between the NL and AL with so much player movement and the fact that both leagues are not run as separate entities (remember when there were League Presidents ?) That has made the All Star Game hum drum.

Admit it you were hoping that President Obama would have brought Artie Lang with him to the game to hang with Doofus Joe Buck. Now that would have been riveting TV.

If you missed last nightâ€™s edition of Pro Baseball Central you missed a spirited discussion by Joe McDonald and I over the issued of re-signing Oliver Perez (Joeâ€™s guy) over signing Derek Lowe (my guy) after going back and forth on the issued Joe played the Tom Glavine card that had me reassessing my opinion. We also looked at the Skill Sets finances and spoke about J J Putz. So check out the podcast for more entertaining baseball talk.

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Greg Prince at Faith and Fear in Flushing has been checking out a sneak preview of the MLB Network which goes live Jan 1. From reading the site there looks to be some fine programming on the channel plus the WBC and there will be live games during the season and the lovely Hazel Mae in studio.

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Story in NEWSDAY today about the unknown of the nation rescission and its effect on the Mets and Highlanders and are they rescission proof? Andrew Zimbalist the noted economist believes both teams are in a dangerous territory and I agree as what fuels both teams are the high rollers on Wall St who are either broke or ready to be indicated. The story also looks at the real baseball fans like us who work hard and like to spend our discretionary funds on our favorite baseball team but the Mets have to be very careful as not to price out the hard core workingman Mets fan as that and not the Madoff scam will be the ruinations of the franchise.

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On this day in Mets history, remember 1986 World Series Game 6 parachutist Michael Sergio? He was sentenced to 100 hours of community service and fined $500 for his stunt. Try that today and Iâ€™m sure youâ€™d get a stiffer sentence.

Iâ€™m on the Derek Lowe bandwagon with his sinking fastball and slider that fits the Mets need perfectly. He is durable and consistency and even at 36 years old Iâ€™d offer him 3 yrs/$50 mil with an option on a 4th

Iâ€™ll watch it and you may watch as well but really other than Phillies fans and Rays fans does anyone care about the World Series anymore? Has MLB under the bumbling Used Car Salesman and the worst television network on earth FOX destroyed what was once the crown jewel of Â American sports?

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Forget about whether kids are watching or care about the Series an unscientific poll of my 13 year old and his friends will tell you they not only havenâ€™t watched a single pitch they are more concerned about their up coming basketball season and the Friday Halloween Dance. Itâ€™s not that they are not baseball fans as out of 15 boys in my sons class 12 play organized baseball and they are all die-hard Mets or Highlander fans but when you have homework and practice for whatever sport is in season but the time 8:45 or 9:00pm rolls around your looking at some serious sleep time.

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I not a big fan of Bob Raisman but he did lay out today in the NY Daily News all that is wrong with MLB taking Rupert Murdochâ€™s billions and selling it s soul to FOX. There is no reason in the world that the World Series shouldnâ€™t begin at 7:30pm East Coast Time. First off, no network should put on a pre game show for any sport. In this day and age by the time first pitch, kick off, tip off or face off comes around fans are well versed in whatâ€™s in store for that nights game. Do you think I rely on Jeanie Zelasko for my baseball information HA! HA!

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It not just kids who are not following the World Series itâ€™s adults as well. Every morning when I come in to work my co-workers ask me who won and what were the highlights as out six or seven guys that want to know none of them have watched one pitch of this series. Most of it is no Mets or Highlanders but even without the locals in it they all tell me the same thing, the game is on too late and theyâ€™re not staying up until midnight to watch it.

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You would have to think that someone in MLB has to have at least a sliver of common sense and is reading and listening to the fans (have you heard Â anyone say the y LIKE the late starts and early morning finishes of these games? I didnâ€™t think so) and bring it to the attention of the Used Car Salesman. If the Mets were to announce that all night home games were going to start at 8:45 PM how many games would you go to? Figure three hours minimum for a game so youâ€™d get out of the ball park at quarter to midnight, then by the time you get out the parking lot and home you would have enough time to take a nap and go to work Â so of course the Mets or any team would not be stupid enough to schedule games at that time but for the championship of MLB they do and then wonder why no one is watching. Â

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